Hopefully you are as intrigued as we were by the rather grand title given to this wine and tasting menu experience created by the Vineyard Hotel in Berkshire. First things first, whilst the Vineyard Hotel does not sit amongst its own vines, (surrounded instead by the Berkshire countryside), it does hold some 30,000 bottles in an extraordinary glass cellar that is visible from the floor of the hotel’s reception. In addition, the hotel owner Sir Peter Michael is a rather big name in wine production, having his own vineyard in California, from where many of his award- winning wines have been imported to the hotel. Wine is a huge focus for the hotel, and ‘The Judgement of Paris’ as we found out, was an important event in the wine world that had
such lasting influence, it has been recreated here as a fun and enormously enjoyable challenge to anyone that enjoys a glass of wine – however, lacking in wine knowledge you may be (and we are as it turns out!).

The Judgement of Paris (or the Paris Wine Tasting of May 24 1976) is seen as one of the most pivotal moments in wine history. A blind wine tasting of French and Californian wines, nearly forty years ago, that forever changed the future of winemaking, when unknown Californian wines were chosen over some of France’s finest by some of France’s top wine aficionados. Organised by British wine merchant Steven Spurrier, excellent Californian Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons were tasted alongside white Burgundies and Bordeaux reds. For Californian winemakers, and for winemakers around the world, the event transformed the industry.

Those in attendance included journalists Odette Kahn: the editor of ‘La Revue du Vin de France’, and George M. Taber from Time Magazine who later wrote a book about the event. Years later, in 2008, a comedy drama film; Bottle Shock starring Alan Rickman, was released which tells the story of The Judgement of Paris. Indeed, the final result of this event was so shocking that some of the judges withdrew their ballots.

From then on Sir Peter Michael, owner of The Vineyard, was inspired. The Paris tasting set him on a journey to California in search of a suitable vineyard location, which he found in 1982 starting the Peter Michael Winery in Knights Valley, Sonoma. In 1998, he opened the five-star Vineyard hotel in Berkshire, now established as the UK’s leading wine hotel. Here, amongst some 3,000 bins in the Vineyard’s wine cellar, are over 800 Californian wines including a unique collection from Peter Michael’s own vineyard. The story of the Paris tasting lives on at the Vineyard. The hotel’s impressive art collection includes a huge canvas of the legendary 1976 ‘Judgement of Paris’ (not to be confused with the 17th century works of Art by Rubens of the same name) commissioned by Sir Peter in honour of the event. Steven Spurrier himself (the organiser of the original Paris tasting) was invited to The Vineyard to unveil the extraordinary work of art in May 2012.

The ‘Judgement of Paris’ wine tasting experience invites guests to recreate their very own blind tasting with wines matched to each of seven delicious courses prepared by British chef Robby Jenks. Traditionally, a French and Californian glass are served with each course and the diner decides which they prefer, along with a few guessing games. The tasting also includes two blind taste tests served in blackened glasses, the diners’ task being to guess the variety of grape, along with the origin - California or France? You’ll pick up clues and tips from the Sommelier along the way, helping you to make your best educated guesses - although where we were concerned we still only managed to successfully guess the origin of two of the wines! At the end of the dinner, guests raise a glass to California or to France. Which one gets your vote?

With so many delicious wines to taste you may think that the food would be overshadowed, but you would be quite wrong. The tasting menus are carefully constructed with each new season, using the highest quality, locally sourced ingredients. Chef Jenks aims to provide a ‘gastronomic experience’ and in our humble opinion, succeeds in doing just this. The food we were served was so memorable, it had us reminiscing for days afterwards. You may feel, as I have done in the past, a certain wariness when approaching a tasting menu - the element of choice has been all but removed, and the decisions are in someone else’s hands, which results in sampling dishes you may never have otherwise discovered. This can go one of two ways: you will either end up cleaning your plate and wanting more, or being glad that the portion is small! The menu we sampled on a wet, cold late November evening included such dishes as Loch Duart Salmon with beetroots, walnut and wasabi, Pan-fried Foie Gras with grape, hazelnut and pain d’epices and Venison Loin with blackberries, parsnip and cabbage and bacon. Each of these dishes was impeccably presented. The quality of the ingredients and high standard of cuisine was consistently apparent across all the dishes - with the result that our plates were clean after each and every course. My personal favourite was the Venison Loin, which definitely fell into the category of a dish I would never have otherwise discovered. The meat was perfectly tender and beautifully complemented by the flavour combination of blackberry, parsnip and bacon - it really was a delight to eat, and a complete surprise to me, as I have never particularly enjoyed venison in the past. My partner’s dish of choice was the Pan- Fried Foie Gras which he couldn’t help making satisfied noises over for the (short) duration of eating. He kept urging me to sample it, as I had chosen to substitute this dish for the hand- dived scallop with celeriac, truffle and apple.

The pre-dessert served as a palate cleanser, but was so much more than that with its classic combination of lime, coconut, pineapple and basil. The dessert itself made quite an impression with its decoration of long shards of spun sugar adorning the salted caramel, manjari (Madagascan chocolate) tonka bean and coffee concoction. A delicious way to finish a wonderful meal. Of course, the flavour and texture of the food is enhanced at every course by the wine pairings served alongside, and it must be this fusion of good wine, good food and good fun that makes ‘The Judgement of Paris’ a memorable experience rather than simply a great meal in a nice hotel. You may even come away having learnt a thing or two about wine - here’s hoping!

The Vineyard is a destination, and not just for the wine buffs among you. The hotel’s facilities include an award-winning spa, 49 suites and rooms and an impressive private art collection - so there is every reason to make the journey to Berkshire to experience it for yourself - if the promise of award winning wines and 3AA rosette standard food were not enough.

Travel

Restaurants

Food

Eating Out

Review

Restaurants

Sometimes only steak will do, and for those times there is Smith & Wollensky. The New York Times described it as “A steakhouse to end all arguments”, and this US steakhouse has certainly enjoyed a triumphant expansion, from its original flagship premises in New York (opened in 1977), across the US and now into the heart of London, where it opened its’ first UK steakhouse in 2015. In keeping with a brand which has become known for its elegant dining rooms in intimate or iconic locations, the London steakhouse is no exception. Located in the monumental art deco styled Adelphi Building, situated between the Strand and the Thames, it forms part of the London Skyline as you cross Waterloo Bridge. Former residents of the Adelphi building have included JM Barrie (author of Peter Pan), George Bernard Shaw and Thomas Hardy, all notable in their fields, as Smith & Wollensky are in theirs.

It is interesting to note that ‘Smith & Wollensky’ was founded by Alan Stillman (creator of TGI Friday) and Ben Benson. You may be wondering, as I was, how they happened upon the name. In fact, the story goes that “Smith” and “Wollensky” were names selected at random from a New York phone book, late one night!

One thing that hasn’t changed is the style, quality and service that were present then, and the attention to detail. As you slip from the hustle and bustle of the Strand with its’ theatres and shops, into John Adam Street, you seem to not only leave the crowds, but also to step back in time. This feeling is perfectly evoked by the Martin Brudnizki designed interior, decked in mahogany. The
ceilings are high and the space extensive (15,000 square feet), but the clever interiors manage to still create a feeling of intimacy. The art deco features are impressive; from the lighting and patterned floor tiles to the wall art and furnishings - there is a wonderful feeling of being in 1920s New York.

On entering, my wife and I made our way past well-spaced out tables and booths to the bar, where we relaxed with a cocktail whilst perusing the menu. There is a fantastic range of speciality cocktails, and I enjoyed my Scorpion (rum based) whilst my wife sipped her Greenhouse Gimlet (gin based). There are also American- sized (80ml) Martinis and Manhattans available – next time! We were shown to our booth by a waiter dressed in a pristine white jacket, where we knuckled down to the serious job of choosing our dinner. The starter choice is extensive and is mainly dominated by seafood including Tuna Ceviche (£9), Seared Chilli & Garlic Shrimp (£14) and Octopus & Chorizo Carpaccio (£16), with Fillet of Beef and Chop. My wife chose the Hand-Dived Scottish Scallops with Garlic & Parsley Butter (£19), and I selected the Half Cold Poached Lobster (£16). If you really want a feast then you should look no further than the two sharing platters which consist of a tower of Lobster, Jumbo Lump Crabmeat, Jumbo Shrimp, Pyefleet Pure Oysters & Cherry Stone Clams paired with Classic Cocktail Sauce, Cognac Mustard Sauce, Ginger Sauce and Sherry Migonette, priced at £90 for the ‘Charlie Smith’ (2-4 people), or £125 for the ‘Ralph Wollensky’ (4-6 people).

The mains are unashamedly dominated by steak, (well it is a steakhouse!) but for the sake of variety, there are options including burger, fish, lobster, chicken, salad and pork chop. Let’s be honest, it’s the steak that holds the headlines here. There is an enormous amount of knowledge and pride amongst the staff when
it comes to the steaks. The meat is butchered and dry-aged on-site, and is hand-cut in their in-house butchery by their own butcher; making it the only steakhouse in London which offers a cut of meat that combines all three. Sitting alongside the American steaks are patriotic British and Irish cuts and premium seafood together with locally-sourced ingredients from the very best UK suppliers. All of this is enhanced through a careful dry-ageing process lasting 28 days which intensifies the flavour and tenderness. I went for the USDA Prime Sirloin (250g, £36) as I just love the rich flavour. My steak was chargrilled to perfection and served with a Béarnaise Sauce. There is an impressive selection of enhancements and sauces to choose from including rubs, crusts and even lobster tail. Other cuts include the Chateaubriand 600g (£80; to share), T-Bone 500g (£58) or a Kansas City Cut Bone-In Sirloin (£64). My wife had the Seared Tuna (£26), which was served with a cauliflower couscous, and complemented with a citrus dressing. To accompany our mains, we ordered French Fries (£5), Creamed Spinach (£10) – for me a must- have with steak - Onion Rings (£7) and Truffled Mac ‘n’ Cheese (£10).

There is a comprehensive wine list, including Smith and Wollensky’s own Private Reserve from California available as Sauvignon Blanc and Red Blend. On this particular evening, we enjoyed the house Californian wine. Prices per glass range from £5.25 (125ml) for a Chardonnay Blend to £12.50 (125ml) for the Private Reserve Red Blend from Napa.

From a previous visit, I remembered not to eat too much before coming here and I advise you to do the same, as the portions are American size, not UK. That said, when the dessert menu arrived, I suffered from an immediate case of ‘eyes bigger than belly’.
Smith & Wollensky do not do things by halves and have their own pastry chef who prepares the desserts daily on site. I opted for the Gigantic Chocolate Cake (£18) which truly lives up to its name. This can be shared between up to 4 people and consists of moist chocolate layers of cake brushed with Baileys Irish Cream, sandwiched with chocolate mousse and covered with chocolate ganache. This was my kind of pudding, with the cake being light in texture and the mousse suitably gooey, but even with my love of chocolate, there was not even the smallest chance of finishing this gargantuan slice of cake, and some days later I was still to be found carving off slithers from my fridge at home (they are used to requests for a doggy-bag!). My wife, in addition to sampling the cake, opted for cheese and biscuits from the cheese trolley (£14) and enjoyed some fantastic British cheeses.

Smith & Wollensky’s stylish dining room is split over two levels, each with a separate bar, meaning they are well equipped to cater for large private parties. If your party is more compact in size, there are 3 additional private dining rooms for those special occasions. With such large and versatile dining space at their fingertips it’s great to see that they run a range of special events including Thanksgiving and 4th July celebrations along with Wine Events. Keep your eye on their website www. smithandwollensky.co.uk to find out details of these and other events throughout the year.

Smith & Wollensky offers a timeless, vibrant, yet relaxed atmosphere that envelopes guests in gracious hospitality. It takes many of the features of the Adelphi Building and its art deco style and marries them with the distinctive Smith & Wollensky brand, the result of which is a dining experience that offers simple refinement in the grand tradition and justifies their claim of offering the “best steak in London”. I am not sure my waistband agrees!

Restaurants

Food

Eating Out

Cocktails

Review

Restaurants

London

Before moving to England, I copied many of my familiar recipes and prepared lists of online cooking bookmarks, and today these are an important element in my British kitchen. Successful results with these treasured American recipes often depend on altering original ingredients and the adjusting cooking details. Trial and error are often my baking methods, so I have learned that keeping kitchen notes is a valuable time saver.

As I follow my American recipes, I refer to my 10 helpful tips of British ingredients, terms for adjustments, substitutes, and replacements.

3. Buttermilk: Plain yogurt is a substitute for buttermilk. (Buttermilk copycat option: Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into one cup of milk, stir the mixture thoroughly, and then let it stand
for 5 minutes.)

Recipes using self-raising flour will depend on a raising ingredient (leavening agent) which is already included in the self-raising flour to provide volume to your dish. Baking powder, the leavening agent in self-raising flour, can loose that raising ability over time. UK baking staples tend to have less shelf-life time than most US products so remember to check the product date to avoid using expired products. Expired flour products will not produce
successful results for your baked foods.

Plain flour does not have a leavening agent added and the shelf life is longer. A quick and easy adjustment to plain flour (all-purpose flour) can make your own self-raising flour when needed. Add 1 tsp baking powder (bicarbonate of soda) into 1 cup all plain (purpose flour), sift
together and you now have self-raising flour.

As the days become shorter, I depend on my go to meals, which can be prepared with minimum advanced preparation. This is the easiest pizza crust recipe ever, as it only uses two ingredients. It works! You have pizza crust in minutes. Add your choice of toppings for a
delicious hot treat.

Spread the dough onto a lightly oiled baking sheet or pizza pan then add the topping of your choice. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes (Pre-bake and freeze for later use if needed.)

Delicious Lemon Meringue Pie

• Crust

1 1/2 cups cookie/biscuit crumbs

1 tablespoon granulated sugar (white table sugar)

1⁄4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

Pinch of salt

• Filling

200 grams soft cheese (substitute for American cream cheese)

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup (114ml) fresh or bottled lemon juice

2 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

• Meringue Topping

3 Egg Yokes

1/4 (4 tablespoons) granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (substitute 1/8 teaspoon white vinegar)

(Option: whipped cream topping)

170C fan assisted oven

Combine the crust ingredients in a medium bowl. Press mixture into pie dish and chill. Add the filling ingredients into a large bowl mixing until smooth.

Pour the filling mixture into the prepared crust and chill while preparing the meringue topping. In a medium bowl place meringue topping ingredients and beat at high speed until mixture forms stiff peaks. Spread on top of the pie and bake in 170C fan assisted oven for approximately 10-15 minutes. Watch the pie carefully while baking and remove the pie from oven when the meringue appears lightly brown. Let the pie sit for at least 30 minutes if possible before serving.

I hope that you find my no stress recipes to be a time saver during your busy day. These recipes can be prepared ahead of time – so one less thing to worry about!

Food

Cooking

Expat Life

Just near to the heart of London is the first UK restaurant of the US chain PF Chang. The location is a former jazz club on the edge of Chinatown and has been designed like an upmarket New York restaurant with exposed pipes zigzagging the roof overlooking a large bar occupying the lefthand side of the room and high tables on the right. A little further down the restaurant there are lower tables for a more romantic meal, and at the end there is a spacious open kitchen where the chefs buzz around weaving their magic.

We visited on a Wednesday night and despite it being early in the evening the bar, high tables and lower tables were full of people and there was a lively buzz of people having a good time. We were led to our table and once seated selected a cocktail from their ‘Bar Lab’ whilst perusing the menus. PF Chang prides itself on the quality of its ingredients and that it is sourced locally and the selection makes choices difficult.

We started with a PF Chang special the Original Dynamite Shrimp (£13.5), which is described as ‘always imitated, never duplicated’ and is a very generous portion of crispy tempura battered shrimps, spicy Sriracha aioli and spring onions, served in a cocktail glass. The prawns were fresh and smothered in a lightly spiced sauce and it
took all my restraint not to order another one! I can’t imagine how many they produce each evening, as we saw cocktail glass after cocktail glass pass our table throughout the evening, so I am sure the reputation of how good this dish is has got around!

We followed this up with the Original Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps (£9.5) where you take the finely diced rich wok fried chicken, mushrooms, spring onions and water chestnuts and wrap them in lettuce cups to form a healthy pancake. The chicken and mushrooms are well seasoned and the spring onion gives some texture and it is lovely that something so healthy tastes good as well. The next stop on our journey through the menu led us to the indulgent Handmade Lobster and Shrimp Spring Roll (£14.5) where the sweetest lobster claw and knuckle meat, shrimp and chives are lovingly hand rolled and fried. This is all served with a lightly spiced Thai curry aioli. The batter was light and crisp offsetting the soft lobster and crab and the aioli was delicate enough to enhance rather than smother the lobster and crab flavour.

I am now a convertee to sushi and I would recommend the Black Truffle Rainbow Sushi Roll (£10.5) and the Dragon Roll (£9.25). Both are special, and the strong flavours of tuna and salmon encased in perfectly sticky rice was a delight to our taste buds.

After a pause to enjoy our surroundings and a lovely fruity South African Chenin Blanc (£29), we tackled the mains and finally selected the Mongolian Beef (£11.5), rich and tender chunks
of Flank Steak caramelised with their signature dark soy sauce and garlic served with spring onion, and the Kung Pao Chicken (£10.5) along with fried rice (£5.25) and Wok Seared Tempura Cauliflower (£4.25), which although being really tasty, was slightly disappointing as it wasn’t in batter which I would expect a tempura to be. The Mongolian Beef was rich and succulent and the Kung Pao sauce nicely piquant without being overpowering.

PF Chang has its own pastry kitchen downstairs (they call it a pastry lab) and it was this kitchen that created our desserts. It is unusual to have such a specialised kitchen but the results are proof that more should as my dessert, the White Chocolate Bomb (£7) was lovely, but my wife’s selection of the deconstructed Lemon Meringue (£6) was spectacular. I am of the opinion that there are too many chefs that deconstruct classic dishes just for the sake of it, and unless the ‘deconstruction’ improves the dish it shouldn’t be done. In this case the deconstruction truly improved the dish and the two types of meringue one soft one crunchy, the balls of lemon ice cream, shortbread, white chocolate and popping candy just danced over our taste buds. We couldn’t tell the staff enough times how delicious we thought the dish was!

PF Chang offers quality food in a modern stylish environment right in the heart of London, and for lovers of Asian food we highly recommend the restaurant - don’t forget to leave room for the desserts as they are worth the visit alone.

Restaurants

Food

Eating Out

Review

Restaurants

Situated in Covent Garden, as well as several other areas in London and around the UK, including Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Chichester, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester, and Southampton, Wahaca serves authentic Mexican food, served tapas style, in a lively and informal atmosphere. The restaurant is so popular you can’t book a table after 6pm, so an early arrival is highly recommended!

The menus are in the format of a paper table mat, and they lay out the various options available. Dishes can be served under several categories, including Nibbles, Street Food, Set Menus, Salads and Bowls and Bigger Plates.

My friend and I chose the Nachos with Chorizo from the Nibbles section, which cost £5.75 and are made up of nachos with Trealy Farm chorizo, house salsas, melted cheese, tomatillo and avocado dressing. Since the review I have already been back to the restaurant with my family, and this dish was one of the reasons I returned to the restaurant so quickly as they were delicious, and I will be trying to recreate the dish at home with chorizo as it gave the dish a spicy, oily taste which I love!

For our main courses, we chose the Favourite Set Menu which cost £35 for two and included Devon Crab & Avocado Tostadas, Chorizo Empanadas, Sweet Potato & Feta Taquito, Pork Pibil Quesadillas, Buttermilk Chicken Tacos, Mexican Grilled Corn, and Grilled Tenderstem Broccoli. Dishes arrive as they are cooked, rather than coming in an order, and at times can come fast and furiously, but the different flavours all work well with each other, with some being much more spicy than others, but there is a good selection of beers, cocktails and soft drinks to help cool you down!

If ordering from the Street Food section, it is recommended that you choose 2-3 dishes, and these can include Tacos (soft corn tortillas), Quesadillas (flour tortilla, filled, folded & toasted), Tostadas (crispy corn tortillas with fresh toppings) and Platitos (small plates inspired by the market) with fillings such as Grilled Chicken and Avocado, Black Bean and Cheese and Sweet Potato & Feta Taquito.

The Bigger Plate section offers exactly that, a plate of food that is more for one person as an entire course rather than a sharing plate. Dishes under this section include Burritos, Enchiladas and Grill dishes such as Grilled Achiote Chicken, Grilled Sea Bream Ajillo, and Bavette Steak, and these range in price from £12.85 - £13.75.

Vegetarians are well catered for at Wahaca, with a Veggie Set Menu and many of the dishes being filled with various vegetables and cheese.

The prices are Wahaca are also very reasonable, with many dishes being around £5.

The staff are very efficient, especially as they are so busy, but are more than happy to explain and recommend dishes, and are friendly in their approach to their customers.

All in all Wahaca has a great recipe for success, with good food, a great atmosphere and is a great choice for friends and families alike.